'The Crown' Season 6 Will Depict Princess Diana's Final Days

Contrary to initial reports, Netflix is opening its palace doors one more time for The Crown season 6. In July 2020, show creator Peter Morgan reversed course on his decision to end the royal drama after its fifth season: “As we started to discuss the storylines for Series 5, it soon became clear that in order to do justice to the richness and complexity of the story we should go back to the original plan and do six seasons,” Morgan said in a statement, via Variety. Netflix U.K. also tweeted Morgan's remarks, announcing that the sixth season is coming after all.

Morgan’s change of heart is his second regarding a sixth season. Back in January 2020, Morgan said, “At the outset I had imagined The Crown running for six seasons, but now that we have begun work on the stories for season 5 it has become clear to me that this is the perfect time and place to stop. I’m grateful to Netflix and Sony for supporting me in this decision.” But best laid plans couldn’t support the heft of numerous important storylines, particularly those surrounding Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s divorce, and the Princess of Wales’s death in 1997.

Ahead, everything we know about the final installment, including which prime ministers will be depicted and why the Sussexes have been excluded from the season.

Season 6 will reportedly explore the early 2000s.

Season 5 ends shortly before Princess Diana departs on a vacation with Mohamed and Dodi Al-Fayed, meaning season 6 is sure to cover her tragic death within its first few episodes.

Deadline reports that the remainder of season 6 will take place in the late ’90s and early 2000s. A recent Town & Country cover story reported that the fifth and sixth seasons will focus on the administrations of prime ministers John Major (1990-97) and Tony Blair (1997-2007). That means there likely won't be any episodes that address the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's decision to step back from royal duties, or Prince Andrew’s ouster due to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.

In fact, Morgan has said he’s relieved to not cover recent events. “The Meghan and Harry story is nowhere near over yet,” he told T&C. “And I’m happy that I’m never going to write it.” As for what’s in store for the sixth season, Cindy Holland, Netflix vice president of original content, said in a statement: “The Crown keeps raising the bar with each new season. We can’t wait for audiences to see the upcoming fourth season, and we’re proud to support Peter’s vision and the phenomenal cast and crew for a sixth and final season.”

It’s likely that, in addition to Princess Diana’s car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997, season 6 will cover the 2002 deaths of Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. (Margaret died on February 9, 2002, while the Queen Mother passed less than two months later, on March 30, 2002.) The year also marked Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee.

Finally, season 6 will almost certainly follow Prince William’s romance with Kate Middleton, which began in 2001.

Seven of the central roles have been cast.

Netflix first confirmed on Twitter that both seasons 5 and 6 of The Crown will star Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth, with Lesley Manville, Jonathan Pryce, Dominic West and Olivia Williams playing Princess Margaret, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and Camilla Parker-Bowles, respectively. Elizabeth Debicki will return to play Princess Diana in season 6, though it’s unknown how many episodes she will appear in.

In September of 2022, the showrunners also announced casting for the younger versions of Kate Middleton and Prince William. Two actors will be portraying William in season 6: 16-year-old Rufus Kampa and 21-year-old Ed McVey. Both actors are relative newcomers, though McVey has appeared frequently on stage in London. Meg Bellamy will play Kate Middleton. Both she and Kampa were discovered after submitting casting tapes to an open call on social media.

There’s no official release date.

An official drop date for The Crown’s sixth season has yet to be confirmed, though the final chapter is currently in production. Filming began in September 2022, meaning a late 2023 premiere date is likely.

Watch The Crown on Netflix

This post will be updated.

You Might Also Like

• 15 Can't-Miss Fashion Gift Ideas from Oprah's Favorite Things 2022

• The 15 Best Organic And Clean Shampoos For Any And All Hair Types

• 100 Gifts That Are $50 Or Under (And Look Way More Expensive Than They Actually Are)